Joe McPeake of McPeake Auctioneers believes Fingal County Council has taken a more pro-active approach to servicing land than some of the other local authorities. "Fingal has a better consultative process between the private sector and the local authorities. The local authority may not have the capacity to do all the technical work - the private sector can provide them with back-up," he said.

The £45 million North Fringe/Northern Interceptor sewerage system will open up significant parcels of housing land in the Fingal and north Dublin areas between Ballymun and Baldoyle. The £17 million North Fringe element is expected to be completed by autumn 2002, with an estimated housing output of 15,700 units. Work on phase one of the project - a 4 km stretch of sewer in the Meakstown/Poppintree area - has commenced and is expected to deliver some 1,000 houses by early next year.

The next phase will be a 17 km stretch starting at Santry Demesne and running parallel to the M50 as far as Baldoyle and Sutton. Next year, work will start on the Northern Fringe Water project, which is due for completion in 2003.

Balbriggan, a Fingal area where substantial amounts of housing will come on stream in coming years, has over 400 acres of zoned land and has been identified under the Strategic Planning Guidelines as a self-sustaining community. In the Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown area, there are currently two drainage schemes in progress - one on the Ballinteer Road and another in the Kilgobbin/Ballyogan area.

A proposed scheme in the Cherrywood/Loughlinstown area is going to tender and another one in Glenamuck/Kilternan may go to tender next month. The Sandyford High Level Water Supply Scheme is expected to be going to tender before the end of the year. This will provide additional water capacity for the Sandyford/Stepaside area, which has the main house building potential in the Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown area.

South Dublin County Council has two large water schemes, one in Lucan/ Palmerstown going to tender early next year and which is expected to be finished by 2002. The Boherboy water supply scheme will service areas such as Newcastle, Saggart, Rathcoole and Baldonnell.